Fatigue Risk Management Systems: Ensuring Safety in the Transport Industry
It’s no surprise that fatigue directly contributes to accidents, especially in the transport industry. When a driver is fatigued, their judgment, reaction time and ability to process information drop drastically.
In extreme cases, fatigue can even lead to microsleeps, those brief, involuntary moments when a driver falls asleep for a fraction of a second, causing them to lose control of the vehicle.
In the 24/7 environment of industries like rail, road, and air transport, fatigue can have catastrophic consequences. Research has shown that fatigue is responsible for a significant portion of accidents on the road. For example, fatigue is implicated in 13% of truck crashes and 21% of fatal crashes.
When you consider the weight and size of commercial vehicles, it’s very clear how devastating a fatigued driver can be to both themselves and other road users.
Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) are designed to address the primary causes of fatigue, which are sleep deprivation, extended wakefulness, and circadian disruption.
Effective Fatigue Management Strategies that Prevent Accidents
In a perfect world, every driver would follow the rest periods to the letter, and every company would monitor them meticulously. But the reality is, people sometimes push their limits, ignore rest time, or simply don’t notice when fatigue sets in.
In a bid to manage fatigue-related accidents, here a few solid strategies that companies need to implement:
Adhering to Working Hours
The first step is simple: stick to standard working hours. Laws are in place that regulate how long drivers can be on the road, ensuring they have enough rest in between shifts. This helps avoid the extreme fatigue that comes from long, exhausting hours.
Basic Fatigue Management (BFM)
For businesses that need a bit more flexibility, BFM allows for adjusted schedules. But, with that flexibility comes a responsibility to manage the increased risks. This means providing training for drivers to recognise when they’re too tired and ensuring there are breaks to rest and recharge.
It also involves educating management on how to spot signs of fatigue and create policies that prioritise worker rest.
Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM)
For industries that demand more rigorous schedules (like trucking or long-haul flights), AFM goes further. This system includes more sophisticated monitoring tools, which track work hours and fatigue levels in real time.
Companies operating with AFM typically have to encourage drivers to rest when they feel tired, even if it means delaying a job. This is an approach that creates a culture of safety and prioritises the well-being of workers.
Using Technology to Minimise Driver Fatigue
We’ve all seen tech take over various industries, and transportation is no different. Today, we’ve got a whole range of fatigue management systems that have been designed to keep drivers healthy and safe.
For instance, advanced monitoring systems can keep track of how long a driver’s been on the road, how much rest they’ve had, and even how alert they are behind the wheel. Many companies are now using technology like bio-mathematical fatigue models to predict when workers will be at their most fatigued.
These models use data like hours worked, sleep patterns, and time of day to predict when fatigue will likely hit. By having this insight, managers can schedule breaks, rest periods or even shift changes before fatigue becomes a problem.
For instance, if a driver is scheduled to work a long shift overnight, their chances of being fatigued at certain times of the night are high.
These systems can collect data while the driver operates and alert fleet managers if a driver is at risk of becoming fatigued or is not adhering to the required rest periods.
With this technology, it’s quite possible for a system to send a notification if a driver hasn’t taken a break within a certain timeframe, or if they’re pushing too many hours in a single shift. And then, the fleet managers can take matters into their own hands.
Even more impressive are the wearable devices that logistic companies make their drivers wear. These devices can monitor things like heart rate, sleep patterns and even signs of drowsiness.
For example, some wearables can detect when a driver is blinking too much or nodding off. When any of such is detected, they would send an alert to both the driver and their supervisor.
Regular Fatigue Audits
But, of course, the system needs to work hand-in-hand with human oversight. The technology is only as good as the people who use it. Regular audits of fatigue management practices ensure that the systems in place are working as they should.
These audits look at things like the effectiveness of rest periods, the duration of shifts, and the overall health and well-being of workers. If any part of the system is found lacking, adjustments can be made before a serious accident occurs.
Also Read: How Fatigue Management Systems Improve Driver Safety and Compliance